This book brings together a number of highly innovative and thought provoking contributions from European researchers in territorial governance-related fields such as human geography, planning studies, sociology, and management studies. The contributions share the ambition of highlighting troubling contemporary tendencies where spatial planning and territorial governance can be seen to circumscribe or subvert ‘due democratic practice’ and the democratic ethos. The book also functions as an introduction to some of the central strands of contemporary political philosophy, discussing their relevance for the wider field of planning studies and the development of new planning practices.

The idea of `economic planning' was a central theme of the radical economic policy debate in the 1930s. Born of the inter-war economic crisis, the call for the reconstruction of the economy according to a `plan' of one kind or another spanned practically the entire spectrum of the politics ofthe day. The fashion for planning is often seen as the seedbed of the Keynesian revolution and the `Butskellite' consensus of thenext decade. Yet `planning' was neither uniformly Keynesian nor, in fact, indicative of political agreement over economic policy. Beneath the shared language ofplanning, the radical economic debate was riven by the same ideological rifts which dominated the more conventional political scene. Dr Ritschel traces the many interpretations of planning, and examines the process of ideological construction and dissemination of the new economic ideas. He finisheswith an explanation of the planners' retreat, late in the decade, from the divisive economics of planning towards the less ambitious but also far less contentious alternative - the `middle way' of Keynesian economics.

When originally published in 1984, and based on archival research, this book was the first fully documented discussion of German naval strategy and planning from 1862-1914 against France, Russia, Great Britain, the United States and Japan. The book is a complete study of the relationship of the navy to Prusso-German power politics both in terms of the complexity of the problems discussed and in the length of the period covered. It will be invaluable to students of naval and military history, strategy and diplomacy, as well as those of German history.

This book assesses the validity of 'anti-politics' critiques of development, first popularised by James Ferguson, in the peculiar context of India. It examines the extent to which it is possible to keep politics out of a highly technocratic state watershed development programme that also seeks to be participatory.

When a city wins the right to hold the Olympics, one of the oft cited advantages to the region is the catalytic effect upon the urban and transport projects of the host cities. However, with unparalleled access to documents and records, Eva Kassens-Noor questions and challenges this fundamental assertion of host cities who claim to have used the Olympic Games as a way to move forward their urban agendas In fact, transport dreams to stage the "perfect games" of the International Olympic Committee and the governments of the host cities have lead to urban realities that significantly differ from the development path the city had set out to accomplish before winning the Olympic bid. Ultimately it is precisely the IOC’s influence – and the city’s foresight and sophistication (or lack thereof) in coping with it – that determines whether years after the Games there are legacies benefitting the former hosts. The text is supported by revealing interviews from lead host city planners and key documents, which highlight striking discrepancies between media broadcasts and the internal communications between the IOC and host city governments. It focuses on the inside story of the urban and transport change process undergone by four cities (Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens) that staged the Olympics and forecasts London and Rio de Janeiro’s urban trajectories. The final chapter advises cities on how to leverage the Olympic opportunity to advance their long-run urban strategic plans and interests while fulfilling the International Olympic Committee’s fundamental requirements. This is a uniquely positioned look at why Olympic cities have – or do not have – the transport and urban legacies they had wished for. The book will be of interest to planners, government agencies and those involved in organizing future Games.

This 1969 work gathers together essays on Third World development by nine social scientists with diverse academic interests. These contributions are united by a relative uncertainty in relation to development, derived from the contemporary critical reappraisal of the area, together with a need to create fresh methodologies for the advancement of their respective fields.

This new edition argues that, in both Mao and Deng periods, China has evolved in ways quite different from the Soviet model and from other developing countries. Like its predecessor, the book's approach is interdisciplinary and comparative. Professor Blecher analyzes China by introducing appropriate theories and concepts from historical and political sociology, economic development and political science. He explores China from two comparative perspectives: developing countries (including the newly industrializing countries of East Asia) and historical state socialist regimes. The book's chapters cover: imperial collapse, republican failure and communist triumph; a chronological overview since 1949; the state and politics; socialism and society; rural political economy; urban political economy; China and the Pacific Rim; the crisis of reform; and the future of Chinese economic development and politics. From PETRA: Blecher's new edition will revise and update the first, adding a new section on international economic factors to the political economy chapters - to include the WTO, gloablization, foreign investment etc. It will address new policy problems such as the spread of AIDS in China and will look at Hong Kong and Macau's return, and at the relationship with Taiwan. The Chinese diaspora is also covered.

Political compromise is emerging as a preferred solution for numerous apparently intractable problems. Many have pointed to the rising degree of political polarisation around issues such as climate change, immigration and abortion. These are ‘wicked problems’ that are clearly not conducive to any sort of political consensus. The groups and individuals who are party to these issues disagree, often both fully and fiercely. As an alternative, political compromise seemingly offers a way of respecting difference while simultaneously generating a decision upon which policy can move forward. But proponents of political compromise should also acknowledge its significant weaknesses and dangers. Invoking recent examples from various policy areas to illustrate their claims, the authors assert that compromise can disguise inequality, reduce plurality and heighten uncertainty. In short, compromise can weaken democracy and must not be seen as some sort of political panacea. This concise, accessible text offers a strong and provocative argument that provides a crucial counterpoint to the promise of compromise. It should prove of interest to students and scholars interested in compromise and consensus as well as democratic governance, social inequality, political apathy and environmental politics.

This book brings together a number of highly innovative and thought provoking contributions from European researchers in territorial governance-related fields such as human geography, planning studies, sociology, and management studies. The contributions share the ambition of highlighting troubling contemporary tendencies where spatial planning and territorial governance can be seen to circumscribe or subvert 'due democratic practice' and the democratic ethos. The book also functions as an introduction to some of the central strands of contemporary political philosophy, discussing their rel.

Recent years have witnessed a substantial change in both the organisation and substance of environmental policy, both national and international. Western societies have seen a change in the relationships between the state, the market, and civil society, leading to new conceptions of governance, a process here called political modernisation that gives rise to the institutionalisation of new policy arrangements. An environmental policy arrangement refers to the organisation and substance of a policy domain in terms of policy coalitions, policy discourses, rules of the game, and resources. The book uses these theoretical notions to analyze changes in organisation, substance and governance in several environmental policy domains, such as infrastructure policies, global policies on climate change and biodiversity, green planning, and agriculture policy. Changing relationships between the state, the market and civil society, caused by processes of globalization, privatisation and individualisation, have resulted in a plurality of policy arrangements in different domains. Despite the fact that environmental politics has been substantially renewed, there is a delicate balance between traditional and new policy arrangements. One of the main themes of the book is the explanation of this balance.